I really started paying attention to this look at DragonCon, Atlanta’s big nerd festival, a few weeks back. While a good portion of the convention attendees were in full on geek mode (costume/kilt/bodice/black t-shirt with jokes about Linux), a handful of the folks I met were more understated in their geekiness — they dressed well, but they might be carrying a videogame related dongle on their cellphone, or a prominent Zelda tattoo.
(As an aside, when I talk about understated geekiness or closet nerds, I AM NOT talking about this:
which I believe is referred to as “geek chic.” It’s a cool look, but I think it’s been covered by pretty much every print and online media source at this point.)
Anyway, that closet nerd look is fantastic. It looks good on guys and girls, and it’s a reflection of philosophy rather than outfit, which makes it accessible to all of us.